“In one sense it’s the worst of all kinds of diseases: it
maims but it doesn’t kill ... And in that kind of society where
people are living on the margin to start with, it’s a horrifying
thing for both the individuals and their associates.”~
Robert S. McNamara, President of the World Bank 1968-1981, in an interview
with the River Blindness Foundation

Morbidity & MortalityOnchocerciasis
per se is not a disease that kills (although it can reduce one’s life
expectancy by perhaps 15 years, which is a significant amount where the average
lifespan is only 50 years). The mortality rate of zero just means that affected
individuals have years to experience the impact of the disease on their bodies,
their mental health, their social status and roles, and the well-being of
their families and communities. The World Health Report 2002 estimates that
the global burden of the disease is 987,000 disability-adjusted life years
(DALYs, the sum of years of potential life lost due to premature mortality
and the years of productive life lost due to disability). [h,j,q,v]

Communities
Many of the most fertile and arable lands in Africa have been abandoned out
of fear of disease. Mass migrations to already overpopulated cities causes
worsening poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, sanitation, and productivity.
In the 1970s, the WHO estimated that the annual economic loss was US$ 30 million.
[h,w]

Individuals
“For a blind person, whether a man or woman, the suffering’s the
same . . . My brother became blind when he was young and so couldn’t
get a wife. We’re both supported by our families — for food, for
everything. It’s terrible.” ~ Sata Ouattara, a blind onchocerciasis
victim in Africa [h]

Onchocerciasis
also causes debilitating and unsightly symptoms as well as early aging. From
a holistic standpoint, the disease ultimately results in social stigma, dependence
on family for survival, helplessness, emotional trauma, and displacement.
[2,h,a,c,d]